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CommonHealth Catalyst

Calendar icon Communities, Health and Care

Folder icon Nov 2022 - Sep 2023

Common Health Catalyst aimed to undertake early research to inform the development of a community research consortium to address health disparities in Lanarkshire. The collaborative project undertook preparatory work to contextualise and understand the past and present health profile of the area, to develop the research capacities and capabilities on health disparities across the public and community and voluntary sectors in Lanarkshire, with a view to ultimately better equipping partners with the tools and knowledge to address drivers of inequity at a local level, through a range of research and participatory approaches.

The project sought to create the conditions and partnerships to attract future research investment into Lanarkshire and Lanarkshire communities.

It was led by the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University, with NHS Lanarkshire, the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH), The Health and Wellness Hub, and the University of Glasgow as project partners. The CommonHealth Catalyst project is a nine-month project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).  

Content icon Overview of page

  1. Project objectives
  2. What is involved
  3. Findings & outcomes
  4. Project outputs

objectives icon Project objectives

The project aimed to: 

  • Support and facilitate cross-partner collaboration between health, community and patient and public involvement and engagement to understand causes and potential solutions to health disparities. 
  • Scope the integrated care system(s) and community assets in Lanarkshire to understand the range of services, scale of provision, key stakeholders, and existing partnerships. 
  • Identify different collaborative models for integrating co-production into health systems improvement through a deliberative process that involves building trust and a shared vision. 

involved icon What is involved

The project had four components across two themes: 

  1. Theme 1: Learning from the past to shape solutions for the future 
    1a. Looking at historical and present epidemiological data and the health profile of Lanarkshire over time (led by the GCPH)

    1b.     Exploring the industrial heritage of Lanarkshire and legacy of deindustrialisation on health (led by GCU and University of Glasgow)
  2. Theme 2: Mapping the health and wellbeing ecosystem
    2a. Programme Budgeting (and Marginal) Analysis (led by GCU)

    2b. Asset-based approaches and the identification of community assets through asset-mapping approaches (led by the GCPH) 

To ensure that the research project was informed by ongoing community expertise, voice, and perspective, a Lived Experience and Advisory Panel was established. This vital aspect of the project is led by the GCPH. 

findings icon Findings & outcomes

CommonHealth Catalyst was focussed on building an understanding and supporting action to address health inequalities in Lanarkshire. This research concentrated on equipping partners with tools and knowledge through improved approaches to integrated care.

First, epidemiological analysis was used to highlight existing data around health outcomes and inequalities in Lanarkshire. Oral histories were then used to gather experiences of coping strategies used by local people to help contextualise this health data. Then, with a specific focus on Lanarkshire’s integrated care system (ICS), community asset mapping and health economic programme budgeting was undertaken to enhance understandings of local system operations and impacts.

Through collaborative approaches, including the establishment of a Lived Experience Advisory Panel supporting patient and public involvement (PPI) in the project, the research began to explore different collaborative models for integrating co-production into health systems to identify potential mechanisms for improving localised health inequalities more effectively.

CHC findings table

This project has shown that it is possible to bring together health data with health and local government professionals, academics and researchers, and community organisations and residents to support work and action focused on addressing health disparities at a local level and supporting new understanding and knowledge generation that accelerates action to improve health outcomes for individuals and communities.

Closures and Beginnings (animation)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6RM1KV5hjc

Output icon Project outputs

Publications & Documents

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